Baggage Suggestion Leads To Some Carrying On

At last month's hearing, Jim May, head of the Air Transport Association, indicated that he opposes limiting the number of carry-on bags, saying passengers should be more judicious in packing their carry-ons. Because TSA screeners are able to screen each passenger's bags within two minutes, tighter limits on carry-ons may not be needed, May said.

"I fully appreciate a tremendous number of business travelers that like to be able to carry on a single bag, well packed, plus a laptop computer, a purse in the case of the ladies, etc.," May said at the hearing.

The fear for most business travelers is that if they are carrying a suitcase or a purse, they might have to check their overnight bag, instead of placing it in the overhead bin.

Investment banker Lee Shepard of Redwood City, Calif., said forcing business travelers to check bags would mean longer delays at the airport and would make air travel "even less attractive." At a time when airlines have already cut the number of baggage handlers and some carriers such as Northwest and United have begun charging for checked bags, Shepard said, the proposal would make travel "less convenient."

Reston-based frequent flier Jonathan C. Esslinger said airlines would have to hire more workers and install more airport kiosks to allow travelers to check their bags. "How many airlines have the financial ability to hire a great number of new employees to handle a lot more bags?" said Esslinger, a director with the American Society of Civil Engineers.

Road warrior Eric M. Uslaner, a University of Maryland government and politics professor, said the size, not the number of bags, should be policed. "Now you can carry on anything smaller than a Hummer and force the flight attendants to find somewhere to store it," he said.

JetBlue's Late Flights: Just as the airline announced its $25 fares between Boston and Washington's Dulles International Airport, JetBlue Airways reported the worst on-time arrival rate of the nation's top 20 airlines in November, according to the latest results compiled by the Transportation Department. JetBlue spokeswoman Jenny Dervin said the biggest factor in late times was the implementation of its new Embraer 190 jets. Northwest had the second-worst arrival rate followed by Alaska Airlines. Hawaiian Airlines and Frontier Airlines had the two best arrival rates. And, ironically enough, now-defunct Independence Air had the fourth-best arrival time.

ATA Pulls Out of Home Town: You know the future of a bankrupt airline looks unclear when it stops flying to its home town. As of today, financially struggling ATA Airlines will cease service out of Indianapolis, forcing travelers to travel to Chicago's Midway Airport to fly the airline. ATA has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection since October 2004.